MR in Support of the Tangentyere Council 28-5-09

Tomorrow: 12.30pm Friday 29th Sydney supporters of the Tangentyere Council will protest the government's moves to acquire the Alice Springs Town Camps, and will present the below statement to Federal Minister Housing Tanya Plibersek at her office - 117 Devonshire Street Surry Hills. This emergency statement already has a long list of endorsements including ANTaR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation), SA Unions, CFMEU (National Office), The Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Lands Council.

"Tanya Plibersek is responsible for meeting the housing needs of the Town Camp residents. Instead her government is disgracefully using the poverty of the Camps as an excuse to take control away from the residents and their elected Council, and hand it to Northern Territory Housing" said Jean Parker from Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney.

"While talking about beginning the ‘stabilisation phase' of the Intervention, the Rudd government has this week used its Intervention powers to further erode Aboriginal peoples' control over their lives. This is a blatant attack on Aboriginal self-determination that flies in the face of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people" said Monique Wiseman from Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney.

"Last year Kevin Rudd said Australian governments would ‘never again' repeat the crimes committed against the Stolen Generations. But now we see Rudd's government using the lie of ‘saving Aboriginal children' to cut Aboriginal people out of decisions about the way they live. The Rudd government is effectively saying it knows best how to care for Aboriginal children. This is the same racist government paternalism that led to child removal policies" continued Monique.

"Our action today is in solidarity with the courageous stand that Tangentyere Council have taken against Macklin's bullying and defamation of Town Camp residents. Tangentyere Council is right to say no to blackmail and demand the camps are improved in the ways that are wanted by residents, and not the ‘we know best' bureaucrats in Canberra" said Jean Parker.